ZAMBIA: RIFLE: BOWHUNT: Buffalo Hunt In Zambia Review

dargo

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I hope this is the right place to post a report on my recent trip to Zambia. If it's not feel free to move it to the correct area on the website if needed.
Basics:
Location: Upper Lupande, Zambia
Outfitter: Stone Hunting Safaris www.stonehuntingsafaris.com
Dates: November 8, 2021 - November 18, 2021
PH: Clinton Stone
Primary Species: Cape Buffalo
Also taken: Crocodile
Travel: American and Qatar airlines - Cincinnati to Philadelphia to Doha to Lusaka to Mfuwe
Type hunt: archery buffalo and rifle crocodile

I'll start by saying any trip is measured by the people one travels with and the memories created. This for me was one of the highlights of my life. I traveled with one of the best friends I've ever had and we laughed, ate, drank, sweated, walked, talked and celebrated. Like the expression goes, "it doesn't get any better than this." The purpose of this review is to help any new hunters / travelers know what to expect and plan accordingly. So, I've included lots of pictures as Brickburn suggested
Summary:
The trip over was brutal. Coach, back of the plane. Almost exactly 24 hours of actual being in the air with almost exactly 24 hours of layovers. But we made it.
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Those are just a few of many incredible pictures. We saw giraffe, elephant, warthog, baboon, monkeys, zebra, kudu, hippos, and many more species. But we were there for buffalo. This was a great hunt for me. I killed the buffalo on the second day early in the day. Although, I made a terrible shot on a walking buffalo at 38 yards with my bow, he went about 20-30 yards and laid down. I got very lucky and hit something way too far back that did the job. I finished him off with a rifle just so he didn't suffer. He was a mature bull (hard) and 38- 39 inches. (My measurement was a little bigger than the others. I think they stretched the tape. haha) The croc was a bonus I was was able to shoot on the last day of the hunt. Used a rifle at about 40 yards perfect brain shot. He never moved. 13.75 feet and we estimate close to 1000 lbs.
Overall great trip. Would highly recommend it.

Pros: 1) Clayton Stone is an incredible PH and co-owner of Stone Hunting Safaris. Worked hard to get us what we wanted and didn't try to get either of us to settle for less than what we wanted. He was also fun to be with and easy to get along with. I will definitely hunt with him in the future.
2) Plenty of animals despite being the driest of conditions imaginable.
3) The trackers were great and knew their stuff.
4) No mosquitos, no one got sick, plenty of bottled water, soft drinks, adult beverages
5) No safety issues or concerns
6) Rooms, beds, showers were very comfortable


Cons: 1)The flights over were brutal due to all the airlines issues with CoVid. Once all the regular flights return this should be more manageable.
2) Lusaka airport was an extremely stressful situation for me as a new traveler with a bow. I was basically "shaken down" by the airport police both entering and leaving the Lusaka airport. I should have been prepared for this but was taken off guard. Basically I had to give them $20 USD for them to "help" me get my bow through security / customs. So if I were to do it again I would have my "tip" money ready and just play the game right away instead of not catching on at first.
3) It was hot! 105-107 F. The camp and fans in our rooms ran on solar and would last until about 1:00 AM then the sweating started. The last 4 days the staff at the camp made some adjustments and the fans stayed on until we got up at 3:30 AM.

I hope this helps the next traveler. Good luck and I hope your next hunt will be your best hunt.
David
 
Last edited:
It was hot! 105-107 F. The camp and fans in our rooms ran on solar and would last until about 1:00 AM then the sweating started. The last 4 days the staff at the camp made some adjustments and the fans stayed on until we got up at 3:30 AM.

Glad you were successful.

There is a reason I quit hunting in Africa by mid-September. It just gets too hot and in some parts it starts raining a lot as well.
 
Congratulations on a very nice buff and croc! Yah.....105 and more......I live in Phoenix and get enough of that to be bothered hunting in it.
 
Well done, thanks for tge report and pictures. Congratulations.
 
Congrats on the hunt and thanks for sharing!
 
Fine looking buffalo!
 
nice buff and croc
sounds like a nice hunt and good outfit
 
Glad you got your buffalo.
Never the less is it a huge achievement killing a buffalo on even terms with a bow.
Very well done!
 
Great report David! Thanks for sharing and congrats on the hunt.

Regarding the shake down at the airport, $20 is cheap to make it through security. My experience is RSA and Zim. In both places, I spent about $100 to get expedited through customs.
 
Great report and a great hunt. I want to echo David's sentiments about the hunt. We had a great time hunting with Clinton and saw literally thousands of buffalo with one herd alone containing over 600 buffalo. I wouldn't hesitate hunting with Clinton anywhere. He is one of the few PH/Guides that i've hunted with that didn't try to convince us to shoot an animal that was less than we wanted. I went there wanting to take an older buffalo with big bosses and a nice shape. I didn't care about width, just a mature "pretty" bull. In ten hunting days seeing thousands of buffalo we never came across that animal and I left never firing a shot. The fact that I had a great time even though I didn't take an animal tells you all you need to know about Clinton.

As for the shake down at the airport. This really gets old and honestly leaves a bad taste in my mouth every time I go to Africa. I didn't take my own rifle on this trip because of this, deciding to use the PH's rifle instead. Having the Police hold you hostage until you pay them is just not right and honestly I believe it keeps some people from returning to Africa. You get hit with people trying to carry your bags, trying to walk you to the firearms checkout, in the restroom for handing you paper towels, and then the police hold you up! And it isn't as though they just ask or suggest, they literally hold you hostage. This all makes you feel very uneasy and this practice should be stopped.
 
I appreciate some good photos in a report. Thanks and congratulations. For me, That is a crazy temp to be hunting in. Glad you survived that downside.
 
I found a typo> The PH is Clinton Stone. I wrote Clayton. Sorry Clinton.
 
I dislike hunting when it's that hot! Congrats on some fine trophies. We appreciate the report. Sorry to hear about the shakedown. on both my trips to Zambia I was expressly asked to bring back meat when leaving. That may of happened and likely worked instead of the bribes you had to pay.
Bruce
 
Congrats on your hunt !
 
congratulations on a great hunt. Hats off to you making it work in that heat.
 
I hope this is the right place to post a report on my recent trip to Zambia. If it's not feel free to move it to the correct area on the website if needed.
Basics:
Location: Upper Lupande, Zambia
Outfitter: Stone Hunting Safaris www.stonehuntingsafaris.com
Dates: November 8, 2021 - November 18, 2021
PH: Clinton Stone
Primary Species: Cape Buffalo
Also taken: Crocodile
Travel: American and Qatar airlines - Cincinnati to Philadelphia to Doha to Lusaka to Mfuwe
Type hunt: archery buffalo and rifle crocodile

I'll start by saying any trip is measured by the people one travels with and the memories created. This for me was one of the highlights of my life. I traveled with one of the best friends I've ever had and we laughed, ate, drank, sweated, walked, talked and celebrated. Like the expression goes, "it doesn't get any better than this." The purpose of this review is to help any new hunters / travelers know what to expect and plan accordingly. So, I've included lots of pictures as Brickburn suggested
Summary:
The trip over was brutal. Coach, back of the plane. Almost exactly 24 hours of actual being in the air with almost exactly 24 hours of layovers. But we made it. View attachment 440185

View attachment 440186

View attachment 440187
View attachment 440191


View attachment 440192



View attachment 440194
View attachment 440196

View attachment 440197
View attachment 440198
View attachment 440199

Those are just a few of many incredible pictures. We saw giraffe, elephant, warthog, baboon, monkeys, zebra, kudu, hippos, and many more species. But we were there for buffalo. This was a great hunt for me. I killed the buffalo on the second day early in the day. Although, I made a terrible shot on a walking buffalo at 38 yards with my bow, he went about 20-30 yards and laid down. I got very lucky and hit something way too far back that did the job. I finished him off with a rifle just so he didn't suffer. He was a mature bull (hard) and 38- 39 inches. (My measurement was a little bigger than the others. I think they stretched the tape. haha) The croc was a bonus I was was able to shoot on the last day of the hunt. Used a rifle at about 40 yards perfect brain shot. He never moved. 13.75 feet and we estimate close to 1000 lbs.
Overall great trip. Would highly recommend it.

Pros: 1) Clayton Stone is an incredible PH and co-owner of Stone Hunting Safaris. Worked hard to get us what we wanted and didn't try to get either of us to settle for less than what we wanted. He was also fun to be with and easy to get along with. I will definitely hunt with him in the future.
2) Plenty of animals despite being the driest of conditions imaginable.
3) The trackers were great and knew their stuff.
4) No mosquitos, no one got sick, plenty of bottled water, soft drinks, adult beverages
5) No safety issues or concerns
6) Rooms, beds, showers were very comfortable


Cons: 1)The flights over were brutal due to all the airlines issues with CoVid. Once all the regular flights return this should be more manageable.
2) Lusaka airport was an extremely stressful situation for me as a new traveler with a bow. I was basically "shaken down" by the airport police both entering and leaving the Lusaka airport. I should have been prepared for this but was taken off guard. Basically I had to give them $20 USD for them to "help" me get my bow through security / customs. So if I were to do it again I would have my "tip" money ready and just play the game right away instead of not catching on at first.
3) It was hot! 105-107 F. The camp and fans in our rooms ran on solar and would last until about 1:00 AM then the sweating started. The last 4 days the staff at the camp made some adjustments and the fans stayed on until we got up at 3:30 AM.

I hope this helps the next traveler. Good luck and I hope your next hunt will be your best hunt.
David

Nobody from the safari company met you to see you through?....
 
Yes. Someone from the safari company met us at the open to the public area and on the return. But the airport police took me and the bow case behind the security area and separated me from the safari rep. They insisted that she was no allowed back into the “customs” area. I don’t scare easily but they took my passport and picked up my bow case. Literally removed it from my hand. I protested and was told that if I wanted to get to my flight and I wanted the bow to make it into luggage that I had to comply. When they got my passport I was screwed. I’m really not sure what I’d do differently other than just start handing out 20s?
As far as my set up for the bow. I’ll get with the guy who set it up for me and let you know the specifics. I want to make sure I get it exactly right. Will post it tomorrow night.
 
I wanted to add that you know you have a good friend when without telling you he upgrades your return flight home to business class making a brutal trip almost enjoyable. Qatar Airlines is without a doubt the best airlines I've traveled on. Service was first class in every regard. I highly recommend them.
 

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